Cotton-seed separator



(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 1..

D. J AMES v COTTON SEED SBPARATOR. No.- 393,053. Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 D. J. AMES.

SUTTON SEED SEPARATOR.

N0. 393,053. Patented NOV. 20, 1888.

(No Model.) 3 SheetF-Sheet 3. 1 D. J. AMES 3 GOTTON SEED SEPARATOR.

No. 393,053. Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

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DAVID JACKSON AMES, OF OWVATONNA, MINNESOTA.

COTTON-SEED SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,053, dated November 20, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that 1, DAVID J AOKSON AMES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Owatonna, in the county of Steele and State of Minnesota, have invented an Improved Cotton- Seed Separator; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an effective machine for separating the hullcd or crushed cotton-seeds from the hulls, lint, and other impurities mixed therewith.

The several features of my invention will be hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of a cottonseed separator constructed with'my improvements; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same-in a plane designated by the line 1 1, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a horizontal section thereof, showing a top view of the slatted beater employed in the machine; Fig. 5, a top view of the endless slatted carrier used in the machine; Fig. 6, a top view of the sieve or screen employed in connection with the slatted heater and carrier.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of t-hefigurcs.

In the drawings, A represents a suitable frame, and B the inclosing-easing of the frame. A bottom, 0, also forms part of the casing; but its main purpose is to furnish a table or platform on which the cleaned or separated cotton-seed falls and is carried to the discharge. The hullcd or crushed cotton-seed is fed into the machine through asuitablehopper, D, near the front or discharge end of the machine.

Inside of the casing the seed first falls on' what I term a slatted beater, E, which consists of an open frame-work having slats a a extending lengthwise of the machine at a proper distance apart to temporarily hold the seedmass and then to allow it to pass through the spaces between the slats in a somewhat divided state and spread out beneath the same. The longitudinal slats are connected by cross-bars b b, and may have oblique or brace bars a c. This slatted frame or beater is designed to have a lateral vibratory motion, and for this purpose it is suspended by freely-swinging rods (1 d,- and it may have, also, cross-rods ff, Figs. 2 and 3, somewhat above its upper side, extending crosswise ol' the same, these rods being supported by friction-pulleys g g to enable the movement to be free and with little frietion. Two connecting-rods, h h, extend laterally outward from this beater-frame through the casing of the machine, and each is pivoted orjointed to one end of a bell-crank lever, i, the two bell-crank levers being respectively near the ends of the frame and pivoted at j j thereto.

Outwardly-projecting arms 7c 7; on the bellcrank levers are pivoted to a rod, 1, which connects them, and this connecting-rod is connected by a pitman, m, with a crank, n, on a pulley, 0, or its shaft, the said pulley being driven byabelt,p, running from a driving-pulley, q, on a driving-shaft Fig.1, substantially as represented, or in any other suitable manner. In this way the desired lateral vibratory movement is imparted to the slatted beater.

The somewhat separated and distributed cotton-seed mass drops from the slatted beater upon a sieve or screen, G, made of perforated sheet metal, wire-cloth, or other suitablema terial, the apertures or meshes therein being of the proper size to readily allow the hullcd or partially-comminuted cottonseed to pass through. This sieve or screen is also freely suspended by rods 8 .9, Figs. 3 and 6, ,to allow it to have a lateral vibratory motion under the slatted beater, but in the opposite direction thereto, at each vibration; and in order to effect this in the simplest way, I prefer to connect it with the same bell-crank levers, it, with which the said slatted frame is connected, the connecting-rods t 1. extending therefrom to arms of the said bell-crank levers, opposite to those actuating the slatted beater, as clearly shown in Fig. 4-.

Between the slatted heater and sieve or screen, and closely over the said sieve or screen, is located the upper traveling part of an endless slatted belt, II, the lower part of the said slatted belt traveling beneath the sieve or screen and closely over the bottom table or platform, (1, 'on which the cleaned cotton-seed finally falls before it is carried from the machine. This slatted belt is composed of crossslats u a, the ends of which are secured to endless bands, chains, or strips 1) c, which pass around pulleys w w on a driving'shaft, m, at the rear end of the machine, While at the front end of the machine the bands may pass around simple friction-pulleys 3 y. The upper part i of this endless slatted belt, which runs between.

the slatted beater and the sieve or screen, travels from the front or hopper end of the machine toward the rear end thereof, while the lower part of the same travels forward over the bottom table or platform, 0. Thus the cross-slats on the endless belt work and distribute the cotton-seed back over the surface of the sieve or screen underneath, and since the belt-slats pass laterally over the sieve or screen they serve to rub and comminute the mass on the sieve or screen, and thereby cause the pure seed-kernel to pass through the same and to separate lint, which adheres strongly to the seed, and carry it with the hull and otherimpurities back to the rear end of the machine, the same not being fine or compact enough to pass through the meshes of the sieve or screen.

At the same time the slats of the beater, being.

just over the endless belt, and also moving laterally with a quick,beating movement, not only distribute the cotton-seed mass laterally upon the'sieve or screen throughout its length, but beat it, turn it over, and disintegrate its particles, and assist in separating the lint and hulls from the pure kernels of the seed. The combined actions of the slats of the beater and of the endless belt, being at right angles to each other, are very effectual and thorough in I their work, and whatever may be the speed of their motions the effect is positive, and as effective when the machine is moving slowly as when it is running fast. At the rear end of the endless belt thehulls,lint, and other impurities are cast off into a spout or receptacle,l,or otherwise discharged from the machine. Thelower part of the endless belt moves forward from the rear to the front end of the machine, and its cross-slats act as scrapers to carry forward the clear seed which has fallen through the sieve or screen over the bottom table or platform,O, and deposit it in a spout or receptacle, J, at the front end of the machine from which the seed is discharged. Over this spout is placed another sieve or screen, K, which catches any lint or hulls that may still remain with the clear seed and separates it therefrom.

The shaft 10 of the endless slatted belt is or may be driven by a belt, 2, passing from a pulley on the driving-shaftr, or otherwise.

In Fig. 1, I have shown the rear end of the slatted beater as higher than the front end thereof, and this is intended to indicate that the slatted belt, the sieve or screen, and the bottom table or platform are also somewhat inclined forward. In Figs. 2, 3, and 4, Ihave represented those parts'as being horizontal. Either construction may be used, though I somewhat prefer the inclined construction. As shown in Fig. 3, there are two triangular or inwardly-inclined rails or strips, L L, out side of the slatted beater and endless slatted belt, and close to the sides of the casing, serving to collect and keep in position all pieces of seeds or hulls, and to return to the sieve or screen any pieces that may be thrown against the sides of the casing. From the lower sides or inner edges of these slats thin strips or plates of metal e 0 project inward, to serve as sup ports for the endless belt. The sieve or screen underneath extends laterally under these metallic plates and the rails far enough not to fail to catch all the cotton-seed falling thereon.

Besides its simplicity and efficiency of operation, the whole machine is simple and cheap of construction.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of alongitudinally-slatted beater-having a vibratory movement transverse to the length of the machine, a sieve located under the said beater having ,a vibratory movement transverse to the length of the machine and opposite to that of the beater, and a cross-slatted endless belt between the beater and sieve and having a traveling movement lengthwise of the machine,substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The combination of a longitudinally-slat- 5 ted laterally-vibrating beater, a laterally-vibrating sieve or screen beneath the beater, a table or platform beneath the sieve or screen, and an endless cross-slatted belt having the upper part traveling between the heater and sieve or screen and the lower part traveling between the said sieve or screen and the table or platform, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. The combination of a frame or case, a hopper near one end thereof, a seed-discharge spout at the hopper end of the same, a laterally-vibrating sieve or screen inside of the frame or case, a table or platform beneath the sieve or screen, and an endless cross-slatted belt having the upper part traveling over the sieve or screen and adapted to carry the hull ICC and lint in one direction to the rear end of the 

